Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies", and it features numerous attractions and live shows. The park is one component of the larger Universal Orlando Resort.

In 2013, the park hosted an estimated 7.06 million guests,
ranking it the eighth-most visited theme park in the United States,
and ranking it sixteenth worldwide.

History

Over the years, Universal Studios Florida has not limited itself
to attractions based on its own vast film library. It has
occasionally licensed popular characters from other rival studios,
many of whom did not operate theme parks themselves. Some examples
include Ghostbusters and Men in Black, (Sony's Columbia Pictures),
The Simpsons (20th Century Fox) and Shrek (DreamWorks
Animation).

Many of the park's past and present attractions were developed
with the actual creators of the films they were based on, and
feature the original stars as part of the experience. Steven
Spielberg helped create E.T. Adventure and was a creative
consultant for ', Twister...Ride it Out, An American
Tail Theatre, Jaws, ' and '.

In many current rides, the original stars reprised their film
roles including: Rip Torn and Will Smith in ', Brendan Fraser
for Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, Bill Paxton and Helen
Hunt in Twister...Ride it Out, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward
Furlong and Linda Hamilton reprised their roles for ', Mike
Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow for Shrek 4D,
Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher
reprised their roles from Despicable Me for ', and Peter
Cullen and Frank Welker reprised their roles as Optimus Prime and
Megatron for '.

In many former rides, the many original stars were also to
reprise their film roles such as: Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F.
Wilson in ', Roy Scheider recorded a voice over for the
conclusion of Jaws, Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Perkins
appeared in ', additionally, various Nicktoon voice actors
reprised their roles in Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast.

Park
history

From its inception in 1982, Universal Studios Florida was
designed as a theme park and a working studio. It was also the
first time that Universal Studios had constructed an amusement park
"from the ground up." However, the proposed project was put on hold
until 1986, when a meeting between Steven Spielberg, a co-founder
for the park, and Peter N. Alexander prompted for the creation of a
simulator ride in addition to the already planned King Kong
based ride.

A major component of the original park in Hollywood is its
studio tour, which featured several special-effects exhibits and
encounters built into the tour, such as an attack by the great
white shark from the film Jaws. For its Florida park,
Universal Studios took the concepts of the Hollywood tour scenes
and developed them into larger, stand-alone attractions. As an
example, in Hollywood, the studio tour trams travel close to a
shoreline and are "attacked" by Jaws before they travel to the next
part of the tour. In Florida, guests entered the "Jaws" attraction
and would board a boat touring the fictitious Amity Harbor, where
they encountered the shark, then exited back into the park at the
conclusion of the attraction. Universal Studios Florida originally
had a Studio Tour attraction that visited the production
facilities, but that tour has since been discontinued.

Branding

Previous slogans for Universal Studios Florida were: See the
Stars. Ride the Movies. (1990 - 1998); No one makes believe
like we do! (1990 - 1998); Ride the Movies (1998 -
2008); Jump into the Action (2008–2012). The current slogan
is: Experience the Movies (2012–present).

Timeline

1986: Land clearing takes place on the swamp land purchased by
MCA/Universal that would hold the park.

1987: Universal Studios Florida is announced at a press
conference on the Hollywood property, with a planned opening date
of December 1989.

1988: Universal Studios Florida's opening date is delayed from
December, 1989 to May 1, 1990. Shortly following, MCA/Universal
releases a video detailing the future park, which stars Christopher
Lloyd as the Universal character Doc Brown interacting with the
various attractions at the Florida park. Universal Studios allows
guests to witness the production of television shows and motion
pictures in the Florida park's soundstages in middle 1988, while
the rest of the studio/park is still under construction.

1989: MCA/Universal Studios claims that The Walt Disney Company
and its CEO, Michael Eisner copied several concepts of the
Universal Studios Florida park, and integrated them into Disney's
recently opened Disney/MGM
Studios park.

1990: On January 31, Universal Studios Florida's opening date
is again delayed from May 1, 1990 to June 7, 1990. Universal
Studios Florida begins soft openings for the general public in late
May. Many of the park's attractions are not yet open at the time,
and still under testing. Universal Studios Florida is officially
opened with a grand opening style ceremony on June 7. The park
opens with five themed areas: The Front Lot (entrance area),
Production Central, New York, San Francisco/Amity, Expo Center,
Hollywood as well as a Lagoon located in the center of the park.
The Front Lot and Production Central areas are referred to as "In
Production", the New York section is referred to as "Now Shooting",
the San Francisco and Amity sections are referred to as "On
Location" and the Expo Center area is referred to as "The World of
CineMagic Center". Nickelodeon Studios opens on the same day and
there is a grand opening ceremony hosted by Marc Summers. Due to
massive technical problems with the original Kongfrontation, and
Jaws rides, Universal begins a temporary voucher service to allow
guests to re-visit the studio/park when the attractions are
operating. Jaws is temporarily closed by Universal on September 30
due to persistent major technical problems. During the shut-down,
Universal sues the original designer of the Jaws ride, Ride & Show
Engineering, and hires Totally Fun Company to create a re-designed
version of most of the ride.

1991: Universal adds four new attractions to the park: The
Blues Brothers Show, StreetBusters, The Screen Test Home Video
Adventure and How to Make a Mega Movie Deal. officially opens in
the World Expo Center area of the park, in a grand opening
ceremony. The ride is considered to be a success, and receives
positive reception from theme park critics. Fright Nights debuts at
the park. In 1992, it is renamed to Halloween Horror Nights.

1993: Jaws is re-opened, with many scenes altered.
MCA/Universal announces plans to expand Universal Studios Florida
into the Universal City, Florida resort complex, including a second
theme park and multiple hotels.

1995: Universal Studios Florida celebrates its 5th anniversary.
A Day in the Park with Barney opens in the World Expo area. The
Production Studio Tour is closed due to a dwindle in the studios'
recent Film/TV production.

1996: opens in the Hollywood area.

1997: Universal announces that Ghostbusters Spooktacular will
be replaced by Twister...Ride it Out, with a planned opening date
of Spring 1998 Universal Studios announces that the sole Studio
park will be expanded into the Universal Studios Escape, including
the Islands of
Adventure park, Universal CityWalk Orlando and multiple hotels.
The Islands of Adventure Preview Center opens in the New York area,
replacing The Screen Test Home Video Adventure. It is meant to give
guests a preview of the up-coming Islands of
Adventure park, as well as expansion of the Studio park into
the Universal Studios Escape resort.

1998: The expansion begins as the original open parking lot for
Universal Studios Florida is demolished and replaced by CityWalk
and a parking garage complex. Universal delays the opening of
Twister...Ride it Out from March, 1998 to May 4, 1998 out of
respect for the 42 deaths caused by a recent El Nino outbreak of
tornadoes in the central Florida area. Twister...Ride it Out opens
in the New York area, replacing Ghostbusters Spooktacular. A new
area of the park, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone, is officially opened,
holding the attractions Curious George Goes to Town, StarToons and
the previously opened Fievel's Playland, E.T. Adventure, Animal
Actors Stage and A Day in the Park with Barney; CityWalk opens
outside of the park.

2010: The 20th anniversary of Universal Studios Florida in
June, as well as Halloween Horror Nights in October.

2011: The 10th anniversary of Macy's Holiday Parade at the
park.

2012: Jaws and the surrounding Amity themed area closes, as
announced on December 2, 2011. Universal announces the additions of
and Universal's Superstar Parade to the park, with openings on May
8, 2012. , opens replacing Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast; as
announced on March 14, 2011 as "...one of many exciting things
planned for the next couple of years". Universal Orlando Resort
announced will officially open in the summer of 2013, replacing
Soundstages 44 and 54, which were demolished on June 24, 2012.
SpongeBob StorePants,a gift shop themed after SpongeBob SquarePants
opened in Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone replacing the Universal
Cartoon Store

2013: The opening date for Transformers The Ride is announced
for June 20, 2013. Details of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
expansion are officially announced. Details for the new Simpsons
Land are announced and expected to open in the summer of 2013.
officially opens in the Production Central area replacing
Soundstage 44. Simpsons Fast Food Boulevard (renamed Springfield
U.S.A.) concludes its expansion as it includes one new ride: Kang
and Kodos Twirl 'n' Hurl.

2014: The opening date for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Diagon Alley is announced for July 8, 2014 amid the Diagon Alley
preview red carpet premiere on June 18, 2014 with Domhnall Gleeson,
Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Matthew Lewis, James and Oliver
Phelps, Tom Felton, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis and Helena
Bonham Carter attending the premiere. King's Cross station opens on
July 1, 2014 as well as the Hogwarts Express Hogsmeade station at
Universal's Islands of Adventure, connecting park visitors to both
theme Harry Potter theme parks via a full scale working replica of
the train that appears in the Harry Potter film series. Diagon
Alley officially opens, replacing Jaws and the Amity section of the
park.

2015: Universal Studios Florida will celebrate its 25th
anniversary.

Previous
attractions

Like all theme parks, attractions are sometimes closed due to
aging and replaced with more contemporary attractions. Universal
has seen this happen several times. Some notable closures include
Kongfrontation, , The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera and Jaws.
The closures of Kongfrontation, Back to the Future, and Jaws have
been given homages by the park to honor veteran visitors who
revered the former rides.

The large area that once housed the Jaws attraction was
reconstructed to make way for the new Diagon Alley, part of The
Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction. As an homage to the
Jaws attraction that was available to so many visitors of the
years, references to Jaws are sprinkled throughout the new Diagon
Alley. One being a set of shark jawbones appearing behind the herbs
and potions of Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary.

Park
design

Шаблон:Main Universal
Studios Florida features seven themed areas all situated around a
large lagoon. In 2012, this lagoon was the site of , a thematic
display that showcased scenes from various Universal films,
featuring lasers, projectors and fountains, and pyrotechnics.

The seven surrounding themed areas, clockwise from the entrance,
are Production Central, New York, San Francisco, London/Diagon
Alley, World Expo, Springfield, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone and
Hollywood. Each area features a combination of rides, shows,
attractions, character appearances, dining outlets and merchandise
stores. A new area, based on Harry Potter's Diagon Alley was added
to the park in the July of 2014.

Production
Central

Ride

Year opened

Manufacturer

2012

Intamin

Shrek 4-D

2003

PDI/DreamWorks

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit

2009

Maurer Söhne

2013

Oceaneering International

The Universal Music Plaza Stage

2009

The area is also home to a variety of dining outlets and
merchandise shops. Food and beverage items can be purchased from
Beverly Hills Boulangerie or Universal Studios' Classic
Monsters Cafe while merchandise can be bought from a variety of
themed stores including Universal Studios Store, Studio
Sweets, It's a Wrap!, Super Silly Stuff,
Shrek's Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe, and Transformers: Supply
Vault.

New York

Ride

Year opened

Manufacturer

Twister...Ride it Out

1998

Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride

2004

Premier Rides

The Blues Brothers Show

1991

Delancey Street Preview Center

2006

New York features several dining outlets: Finnegan's Bar and
Grill and Louie's Italian Restaurant which were designed
for the park as well as Starbucks Coffee and Ben &
Jerry's which are commercial franchises. Within New York exist
three merchandise shops: Sahara Traders, Aftermath
and Rosie's Irish Shop. The first two feature merchandise
related to attractions within this area.

As Nickelodeon was headquartered in the park at the time, the
opening credits for Roundhouse and All That (two of
its shows) were filmed around this area of the park.

San
Francisco

Ride

Year opened

Manufacturer

Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue

1992

2008

In addition to the themed shops mentioned previously there are
several other shops including Lombard's Landing Seafood
Grille and San Francisco Candy Factory.

London/Diagon Alley

This area is one half of The Wizarding World of Harry
Potter.

Ride

Year opened

Description

The Knight Bus

2014

Hogwarts Express

2014

Knockturn Alley

2014

Ollivanders

2014

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

2014

World
Expo

Ride

Year opened

Manufacturer

Fear Factor Live

2005

2000

Sometime after June 2005 the optical illusion of the Space
Shuttle was removed from this part of the park. As you headed
towards World Expo from San Francisco/Amity it was
one of the many designated photo spots throughout the park. There
was a hanging platform that you would place your camera on and take
the picture. The Shuttle would look as though it was sitting on the
top of expired park ride .

Hollywood

Ride

Year opened

Description

Universal's Horror Make-Up Show

1990

live stage show that shows guests how horror film special
effects are created. Before the main show guests experience a
pre-show walk-through of set pieces and props used in various
horror movies. The pre-show currently houses a character appearance
by Hellboy from '. In August 2008, a section of the pre-show
lobby was included to contain material from Halloween Horror Nights
which includes some concept art, and a timeline of park map covers
dating from its debut year in 1991 as Fright Nights. Both of these
attractions opened in 1990.

1996

The show is a live, 3D experience that combines a 3-D film with
an actual stage show based on the film '.

Production
facilities

Universal Studios Florida is also a working production studio.
It has been used for several movies, television series,
commercials, music videos, and other events throughout its history.
It was also the home of Nickelodeon Studios, the production
location for Nickelodeon from 1990 until 2005. In September 2008,
Nickelodeon returned to Universal Studios Florida for the
production of "My Family's Got GUTS. In January 2009, the Powerball
lottery drawings moved from Iowa; they are conducted and made at
Universal Studios Florida, coinciding with the Florida Lottery's
entry into the Powerball game. In July 2010, RTL Group's Family
Feud was filmed at the studios, coinciding with the show's
debut of new host Steve Harvey.

Universal Studios Florida is home to six soundstages that are
available for a variety of purposes. A seventh soundstage, Stage
18, was one of the former Nickelodeon Studios soundstages; it was
redesigned in 2007 as the Sharp Aquos Theatre, where the Blue Man
Group has performed since June 2007. The soundstage and the core
production facility were made a permanent part of Universal
CityWalk. Soundstage 21 has been used from 2004-2013 for Total
Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) which has produced its weekly
television program, Impact Wrestling from there, and has
aired some of its pay-per-view events from this location since
November 2004; it is referred to as the "Impact Wrestling Zone" for
this reason. TNA also uses soundstage 24 for backstage use. The
remaining soundstages are available for rent by other production
companies. During Halloween Horror Nights, the soundstages are
occasionally used for the event's haunted houses.

A wide range of productions have been filmed in the soundstages
during the studio's history, including many local and national
commercials. Television shows include SeaQuest DSV (from its
second season forward) and Superboy (second-fourth seasons).
The Ellen DeGeneres Show taped a week-long series of
episodes at the resort in the spring. Sports-entertainment shows
WCW Monday Nitro and roller derby series RollerJam!
were taped at the studios. In 2009 the studios also became
headquarters for the Adrenaline Partnership's FIREBALL RUN(R)
series; a popular national motoring event series. The studios have
hosted numerous game shows, including national tours of Wheel of
Fortune, Fear Factor (portions of episodes from
2004–2005) and the Florida Lottery's Flamingo Fortune. Since
2009, the Powerball drawing originates from the facilities. Major
scenes of the movie Parenthood were filmed at the studios
prior to the park's opening to the public in 1990. The film ' as
well as the TV series Swamp Thing were also filmed at the
theme park shortly following its grand opening. Most recently, the
films ', ', Beethoven's Big Break and The Final
Destination were filmed at the studio.

During the 1990s when Nickelodeon's main home was at Universal
Studios, the soundstages were used to film almost all Nickelodeon's
original live action programming including: Get the Picture,
Kenan & Kel, Family Double Dare, All That and
many others, although many programs, including All That and
Kenan & Kel later moved to Nickelodeon On Sunset in
California. While Stage 18 is now used as the Sharp Aquos Theatre
for the Blue Man Group, Soundstage 19 and the core production
facility are home to Sun Sports and Fox Sports Florida.

Other soundstages located throughout the park (while primarily
in the Production Central area) house the attractions Blue Man
Group Sharp Aquos Theatre (in CityWalk),
Shrek 4-D, Donkey's Photo Finish, Twister...Ride
it Out, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, ' and E.T.
Adventure.

Annual
events

Universal Studios Florida features several seasonal events
throughout its operating calendar. Some are included in the daily
park admission, while others are separately-ticketed events.

Grad
Bash and Gradventure

Grad Bash and Gradventure are two separate events
held in April and May at the park. Grad Bash is an event for
graduating high school senior classes who can gather for an
exclusive, all-night party at Universal Orlando Resort featuring
the 2 parks best attractions, live performances by some of the most
popular musicians, dance parties with DJs, and pre-parties live at
The Universal Music Plaza Stage in the Production Central area.
After Disney's
retirement of Grad Nite, Grad Bash was held for five nights in
2012. Gradventure is similar, but is designed for junior
high/middle school graduating students.

Halloween Horror Nights

Шаблон:MainHalloween
Horror Nights turns the park into a giant haunted playground,
including scare zones, numerous haunted houses and special themed
shows. The event is run annually in late September, October, and
early November.

Macy's
Holiday Parade

Шаблон:See alsoMacy's Holiday Parade brings some authentic balloons from
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to Orlando in a month-long event
in December that highlights the Christmas celebrations at the
park.

Mardi
Gras

Шаблон:See also
Generally in February through to April, a parade and concert series
inspired by New Orleans' Fat
Tuesday party is held at the park.

Rock the
Universe

Шаблон:MainRock the
Universe is the park's Christian music festival, featuring two
days in September of concerts with leading contemporary Christian,
Christian rock, and Christian rap artists live at The Universal
Music Plaza Stage in the Production Central.

Summer
Concert Series

Summer Concert Series occurs annually and features a
variety of popular music acts performing live at The Universal
Music Plaza Stage in the Production Central.

Universal's Express Pass

Шаблон:Main Several
attractions in Universal Studios Florida allow guests to utilize
Express Pass. This pass admits users to a separate line for
the attraction, which is given priority status when boarding.
Express Pass is not a virtual queuing service. Instead, passholders
may enter the "Universal Express" line whenever they wish. This
pass is not included with park admission.

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